Interlocking means for sheet-piling.



PATENTED' JULY 16, 1907;

' Gr E- I INTBRLOGKING MEANS FOR SHEET FILING.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 22, 1907.

UNITED srrArrEs PATENT onnron,

enonen E. NYE, OF oHIc-Aeo, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR To NATIONAL INTERLOQKING STEEL SHEETING COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

' INTERLOGKING MEANS FOR SHEET-FILING.

be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a novel construction in de vices adapted for use in connection with structural iron to enable the same to be used'as sheet piling and to be driven in such a manner as to be guided similarly to interlocking sheet piling the object being to provide simple, cheap and eflicient devices of this character I which are capable of being easily mounted upon and removed from the structural iron and consists in the features of construction and combinations of parts hereinaiter'iully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating my in vention' Figure l is a top plan view of sheetpiling showing devices constructed in accordance with my invention disposed thereon. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation partly broken away of sheet piling similarly provided with said devices. Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of a guide member adapted to be mounted'on the upper end. of the sheet piling unit. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a guide member adapted to be disposed on the bottom of a sheet piling unit. Fig. 6 is'an end elevation of the same. Fig. 7 is a detail view in side elevation ofja member employed in connection 'with the driving member at the lower end of a unit. Fig. 8 is a top plan view of a driving member oi modified'construction adaptedto be disposed on the lower end of a unit and showing a channel bar upon which the same is mount-.

ed. Fig. 9 is a fragmentary detail plan view of sheet piling ofmodifled form and showing a modified form of construction of guide member disposed thereon. Figs.

10 and 11 are similar views showing further modifications in construction.

- Sheet piling for light" work such as construction of sewers, dikes, reiniorcement'oi foundations-{oi build--.

ings' and 'thelike may be very light and need not necessarily be of the interlockingtype. It is desirable, however, in'the construction of such sheet piling to provide proper-means 'for guiding each unit in drivf ing the same with relation to the preceding-unit or units driven so as to provide an unbroken relatively straight wall thereof.

Interlocking sheet piling of many different forms has been designed for this particular purpose but the construetion of such piling is relatively veryexpensive Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed April 22, i907. Bosn a.- 359,521.

PatentedJuIy 16,1907.

the uses above mentioned. I I

' Recently the idea has been conceived of construct 7 locking means serving mainly as guides in drivingeach successive unit. This construction necessitates the permanent securing oi'the interlocking members or depunched and the interlocking means then riveted or bolted thereto. I v

To punch the units for which special fa'cilities are reor bolts inserted, the: total cost being approximately seven dollars per ton.

should preferably be so constructed asto enable the same to be used for ordinary purposes after the same has been used for piling, but where interlocking means are securedpermanently, the cost or disassembling defor ordinary structural purposes only ata great loss.

The objectoi my invention'is to provide removable guiding and interlocking devices for structural iron such as channel bars and I-beams to adapt the same'ior use as sheet piling and which said devices are mounted. and removed 4 at substantially no cost whatsoever for affecting a very considerablesaving on-each ton.- To these ends I'provide a guide member A adapted to be be driven therewith into the earth and said member consisting of a U-shapedplate in the recesses O of which the lower endoi the web of the channel bar B is adapted to be received, said recesses being preferably of slightly I less width than the thickness of said webso that when at its free end, said; projection being disposed adjacent one flange of the channelbar and the flange F over- 'l1anging the recesses between said flange of said channel has and said flange E, said recesses being adapted to receive the oppositely disposed flange of an adjacent channel bar G and serving as a guide for driving said tact with-said .channel bar G.

In driving a wall of sheet piling consisting-of a. numand consequentlyjsuch piling is not well adapted for ing interlocking sheet piling in which the 'un its inter-' lock at their upper and lower ends only, such inter-- tracts so. much from the value as to render salable channel bar B parallel with and in relatively close con vices to the units and the latter being obliged 'to' be quired costs approximately three dollars per ton and the bolting or riveting'of any parts thereof costs ap- J proximately four dollars a ton irrespective of the length oi the units or the number of holes punched andtrivets v The structural iron employed as sheet piling units I labor and relatively very small cost of material, thus mounted upon the lower end of the channel bar B, and I l driven on the latter, it will hold very tightly thereto. The said member A is preferably provided with a sharp I extension: D to render the driving of the unit relatively. easy and is provided at one end of one of its flanges v with a flange E having a short flange or projection F .bei of alternately oppositely disposed channel bars,

the first thereof is driven in proper position being devoid of any guiding or interlocking means. In driving 1 the next adjacent channel bar, one of said guide mem bers A is disposed on the lower end thereof and engages the flange and adjacent edge portion of the rear face of the web of the already driven channel bar in order to cause said lower end of said channel bar to be driven to follow the course of the first driven channel. In.

- order to prevent the upper end portion of said channel bar to be driven or being driven from moving laterally out of the .desired path, a guide member H of construetion substantially identical with the guide member A is disposed upon the upper end of the driven channel and similarly engages the channel to be or being driven,

each channel being thus guided at two points with re-'.

lation to the next preceding driven channel. The said-member H is devoid of the enlargement or extension D of the member A and need not necessarilyfhug the web of the channel bar closely as it will be removed after having performed its function after each successive unit or channel bar driven. After having driven two of said channel bars and it is desired to drivea third or more of said units, a guide member I is provided which is provided at both ends of one of its flanges with said flanges E and short flanges or projections F at the free ends of said flanges, the distancebetween the outer' faces of said flanges E being such as to provide sufficient space between the same and the inner faces of the adjacent flanges of the channel bar on which said the outer or free flanges of the unit on which said mema very firm hold there on.

- said units so that the latter would not all be lost. loss thereof would not be of consequence as the ex-- her is mounted will receive and guide the flange of the unit to be next driven. The latter will, at the same time, carry a member A atits lower end'as previously described.

Where the-channel bars are driven in the relation shown in Figs. land 2, the tendency of each s ucccs sive unit driven will be to hug the next preceding driven unit,.tlris being due to the pressure of the earth thereon, thus causing .the inner faces of opposing flanges of adjacent units to remain in close contact. This action may, however, be further insured by cutting away one end of the projection D of the member A at an incline as at J in an obvious manner, such inclined surf-ape serving to deflect the channel bar slightly in its downward course so as to cause the inner faces of the flanges of the already driven channel bar and that being driven to be maintained in snug contact. As previously stated, said members A are driven upon the lower faces of the channel bars and obtain This isnot essential in driving the unit as the pressure of the earth would hold such guide member in position, but in withdrawing such members from the earth, such hold would cause said members A to be withdrawn from the earth with pense is relatively very small, but such loss could be somewhat reduced by providing a sufliciently firm hold as described. Y

The

In order to prevent lateral movement of said mem- -A disposed in contact with the inner face ollthe web.

is preferably provided with a projection K at one end which abuts against the outer or free flange of the member being driven. In driving the next succeeding channel bar or unit, however, the lower end thereof may strike said projection or a flange L which may be provided in place thereof as shown in Fig. 8, and thus knock said member A either entirely off the unit on which it is mounted or at least so far loosen and cant the same as to prevent it from being withdrawn with the "unit subsequently. I prefer therefore instead-of. employing said projection- K on said member A. to

provide a-small U-shaped member M which is disposed between the free flange of the member being driven and the-adjacent end of the member A mounted thereon, and whichmay be knocked off by the next succeeding unit or channelbar driven without disturbing said member A, said channels as herein illustrated being driven from right to left successively. Said channels to different forms or relative positions of the structural iron units as shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11. If, for example, it is desired to drive the channel bars so that the flanges thereof are in contact with each other on their outer ends and alternate channel bars are oppositely disposed a U.-shaped guide member N may be employed which is provided at one end of each of its flanges with projections O and P respectively, the flange 0 being provided at its free end with a hook-Q adapted to engagethe freeend portion of the flange of the next adjacent bar and the projection P being adapted at its free end to engage the outer face of the web of the next adjacent channel bar thus effectually guiding said channel bars with relation to eachother.

If the channel bars are driven so that the outer faces of their flanges are .in contact and extend in the same direction, the U-shaped member B may be provided with a straight projection S and a hooked projection T, the latter of which is adapted -to-receive the free ends of both the abutting flanges of two adjacent channel bars.

As shown in Fig. 11 the U-shaped member U may be providedwith two hook projections V each of which is adaptedto receive the free ends of the flanges of two adjacent I-beams, on one of which said memberU is mounted.

My saiddevice is exceedingly simple and efficient and in light sheet piling work will affect a great saving in cost of construction.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with structural iron units, of U- shaped members adapted-to be removably mounted upon the ends some webs thereof, and projections on said members adapted to engage adjacent units to prevent relative lateral movement of said units.

2. The combination with a driven structural iron unit and a unit to be driven, of a "(I-shaped member receiving the lower end of the latter and provided with a projec-- i'iou engaging the former, and a similar U shaped'member receiving the upper end portion of the driven unit and provided with a projection engaging the unit to be driven. said U-shnped members serving to prevent relative lateral movement oi said unitsl 3. The eombinaiionwith a driven structural iron unit, and a unit to be driven. of a member having, a recess adapted to receive the lower end of the web portion of the unit to be driven. and means on said memberengaging said driven unit at a plurality of points to cause the lower end of said unit to be driven to follow said driven unit.

4. The combination with a driven structural iron unit. and a unit to be driven, of a member having a recess adapted to receive'th'e lower end of the web portion of the unit to be driven. and means on said member engagion said driven unit at a plurality of points to, cause the lower end oi said unit to be driven to follow said driven unit, a member having a recess adapted to receive the upper end of the web of the driven unit-,and means on said member engaging the unit to be driven at a plurality of points to guide the same. I

5. The-combination with structural iron sheet piling units having flanges at their edges, and adapted to be driven side by side to form a continuous wall, of members having recesses adapted to receivethe'ends of the webs of said units and flanges on said members provided at their free ends with projections and coacting with the flanges of the units on which they are respectively mounted to engage the flanges of the other unit to prevent relative lateralmovement of said units. G. The combination with structural iron sheet piling units having flanges at tl1eiredges,-and adapted to 'be driven side by side to form a continuous wall, of members having recesses of less width than the thickness of and adapted to receive the ends ofthe webs of said units}. .and flanges on said members provided at, their free ends with projections and coactingwith the flanges of the units on which they are respectively mounted to engage the flanges of the other unit to prevent relative lateral movement of said units.

7. The combination with units each comprising a web portion provided. with edge flanges, of members vprovided with recesses adapted to receive the ends of the websof said members, and projections on said members coacting with the flanges of said units on'which they are mounted to form recesses adapted to receive the flanges of adjacent units to prevent relatiie lateral movement of said units.

in testimony whereof I have signed my name in presence 

